My little man's first formal wear

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My cousin Bong got married last July 31, 2010. Since it was a formal gathering, Elmer had to wear the traditional barong, while I wore something that would pass as a formal dress. Migo, on the other hand, wore his first ever formal wear. It was not a barong, for I had second thoughts of letting him wear something that would make him, and us as well, uncomfortable. So what I just got for him was a set of polo, tie, vest, pants, black socks and black shoes. It looked good on him! I cannot wait for another formal event so I can see him wear something like that again. ;)



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My Little Man's Birthday Video (Teaser)

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Almost three months after my little man's event, I still cannot get over the fun and moments this birthday celebration had. Here is a teaser of what I am talking about. Enjoy!!

Migo @ 1 from thorProductionKIDS on Vimeo.

Little Man's First Haircut

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My little man's another first.

HIS FIRST HAIRCUT!!

The truth is, we were supposed to have the haircut the week prior that. However when we went to the kiddie grooming place, it was full and we were 8th on the list. We had to hear mass later that afternoon and shall we wait for our turn, we won't be able to make it. So we just went home with his hair still intact.

June 12, 2010--since that was a Saturday-holiday, honey did not go to work. We pushed thru with the plan. We went to the mall a bit early knowing how the grooming place gets full really fast on a weekend. And so we were third on the list. That was good enough. Since we still had to wait, we prepped our little man with toys, playthings, and a bunch of colorful stuff.



While waiting, hubby let him try the bikes placed outside this huge toy station just near the grooming place. He enjoyed the ride so much!


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Cuts for Tots. The grooming place speaks for itself.


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The scene inside the grooming place. I love how the place looks like. It is indeed dedicated for tiny men and women for it is embellished with colorful stuff and attractive displays. Characters of all sorts are placed everywhere--Mickey Mouse, Spongebob, Dora and Hello Kitty among others. The chairs, oh how I adore the chairs!! They have kiddie carts and kiddie cars with a monitor infront so the attention of the kid will be glued on the screen. And I love how the tiny laughs and tiny screams of the kids inside blend so well together. And parents never fail to click on their cams, just like what I did the whole time.


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And after around fifteen minutes, tahda!!! Little man's hair now all gone!!




THE FIRST HAIRCUT'S EXPERIENCES AND BIT TIPS


-Let the little one wear a comfy top or shirt. Migo wore a simple, almost pambahay shirt for I know that at the end of the session, he's going to change anyways. He has to change for his first shirt might be full of hair and he might get itchy because of it.

-Bring an extra top or shirt. Just like what I already mentioned, he has to change to a new shirt after the session.

-Come early. The place gets unbelievably full in a short period of time specially on weekends. It's always better to be early.

-Bring the favorite toy. Though the grooming place has tons of toys for the little creature, it will be best to bring a special toy familiar to him. Shall he cry due to the unusual experience, just let the toy out so to divert his attention away from the sound of the scissors or razor.

-Help the stylist. Shall your kiddo throw tantrums, or gets hyper and excited, or turns a bit malikot during the ordeal, be responsible for making him "behaved". It's only you, the parent, who can do this and no one else.

-Bring your own shampoo and towel. Part of the pay is the shampoo session. Though they offer a mild-for-kids shampoo, and for sure their towels are often replaced with a new one, it's still best to bring your own for hygienic reasons.

-Get the discount or membership card. If you believe that your child will be having a regular schedule to this grooming place, it's practical to avail of their membership card that entitles the holder of discounts to his succeeding visits.

-Bring your camera. And please do not forget to charge the batteries, or bring extra batteries. This is your child's first haircut and you would not want it to end just like that. There has to be a memorabilia of everything that happened, and he has pictures to cherish when he gets old.

-Lasty, but most importantly, bring home his few strands of hair. If you are a mom like me who's into preserving all sorts of souvenirs of my baby, i bet you are not to miss this one. When my little man grows into someone who's already responsible to his grooming, when he won't need my hand anymore to assure him that haircuts are fine, when he's in the age where he has his own little version to take care of, these strands of hair will always bring back the memories of the young him.


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First "adult food"

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conas tá tú?

February 1, 2010 -- Migo's first taste of what I call the adult food. It was the day after my daddy's birthday bash and mom, who prepared almost every meal in my dad's birthday celeb, was still in the mood for cooking. I made my way to the kitchen to check what could satisfy my already grumbling tummy. She handed me a newly-cooked menudo. Thick menudo sauce, tender bite-sized pork, sweet carrots and chewy potato, oh yum yum!! Paired with uber malata rice... and steaming hot coffee..oh gosh,that was perfect!!

Just when I was about to finish my last two spoonful, I saw my little man in his just-borrowed walker (thanks by the way to his tita Aileen and tito Edwin) staring at me, with that look. That look telling me that he too wanted a bit of a share of what I was having. I shooed away the thought of giving him a tiny serving, but that look!! That look got me. His eyes were begging for it, and his mouth was doing some chewing motions. His mouth was watering! He melted my heart in an instant. Sans the meat, I found myself mashing my last two servings. I gave it all to my little man and he enjoyed it up to the last grain.



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My baby's birthday gift to me--his first words

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Hallo!

Flashback: Migo and I, along with my mom, visited the pedia for the monthly check up. Honey was in Australia by the way, and thanks mom is always there to fill him in. When the pedia asked me if Migo was already talking, I said not yet. Which was true because he would just make sounds, not talk. "No consonants" was how I described it. Pedia checked the record. Eight months. No talking yet? She then started talking about how important it is to talk to the baby often, face to face, no television, actual interaction, etcetera etcetera. I was not at all listening for I was doing all that already. Even the yaya (I wanted to believe that, but the truth really, I was not sure at all). She then dropped two words that made me focused to her again--developmental pedia.

Developmental pedia?! Wait, wait!! I did not want these words. Did it mean my Migo was sort of slow? Or behind? Eight months and not yet talking. I texted all my cousins and girlfriends and asked them what month their babies started talking. Six months. Seven months. Some even as early as five months. My little man was already eight months!! I got scared really. And how am I going to tell this to honey? I was not able to sleep that night.

That week, we were scheduled to spend it to my parents' place. I asked everyone to talk to Migo as often as possible. It did not come as a problem for they were all really sabik for my baby. Apart from that, I spent several, as in several times in a day talking to him with just da-da-da-da. Just da-da-da for I heard almost babies started with these syllables. I even often sang to him Lady Gaga's Bad Romance replacing the lyrics to da-da-da. That was how determined, dedicated and hopeful I was. It went like that for a week, non-stop.

After one week, we went back to Fairview (had to be back in time for Elmer's arrival). I told honey the "news". He shrugged it off. Okay, at least one of us was not panicky about it.

January 24, 2010-- we were having dinner at the gazebo and all of us were gathered there. Just when everybody was doing their chikas, Migo uttered da-da-da. Yes, he did!! And everybody stopped to listen to what he had to say. My heart skipped a beat as I watched his mouth move, giving out a loud voice saying da-da-da. It eventually became da-da-di and it made Elmer smile. A big smile, actually.

When we said our goodnight's to everybody (since it was already 9:30 and I was set to be strict with that sleeping time), I had a one on one talk with my little man. All I just said to him was thank you, thank you, thank you so much. That was the best birthday gift I have ever received--your da-da-da.
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Established sleeping time

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Bonjour!

From Migo's birth up to his seventh month, I was terribly looking forward
to some quality, deep sleep. That was because Migo was so hyper up to midnight
and some point up to 2 in the early morning. It was really so hard to put him to
sleep. Honey and I struggled to find ways to make him sleepy--- sing to him, dance
him, shake him a little, give him a warm bath, even baby products to invite sleep,
etcetera, etcetera. Once he got his sleep, I already felt so tired and harassed. I had no time to do the things I love doing before going to bed. That meant I had no time to catch up on my reading, no time to go to my fave websites, and even no time to take a shower!! Goodness!! And the sad part of it all, Migo is an early riser. So no matter how late he slept, he would wake up at 5ish or 6ish. And I had to be up by the time he's up. Imagine how short my sleep was.


Good thing our one week of stay with my parents' house helped me to at last
establish his sleeping time. We had to stay over my parents' place for a week because
honey was in Australia. We had no company so dun muna kami natulog sa kanyang
papu and mamu. Peeps there sleep early. 9 in the evening and lights off already. That's because my dad and mom jog in the early morning, plus Migo's kuyas (cousins)
-Nico and Dane- sleep early for the next day's school. Also, my sisters work in a call center so they are not around during night time. My brother naman stays in his room all evening to watch the movies he downloaded from the net. So in other words, there was no much happening come evening time. And though I find it odd, it was a great way to find my baby's sleep time. 9:30 in the evening became Migo's official bedtime.

A week after and we were back to Fairview. I had doubts if I could go with this pattern once back there. Dinner time there is 8ish, some days it could be as late as 9ish. And we still have to do some chika here and there afterwards. And of course, after-dinner is the time they-the uncles, aunts, cousins and even manangs-play with Migo. The time we will be back to the humble pad is like 10:30, and by then we would struggle to put him to sleep. Hyper na sya by that time due to the talking and playing with him made by people around him.

I was really determined to establish his sleeping time. What I did, I snatched my little Migo away from everybody after dinner. That was around 9pm already. And good thing nobody gave me a violent reaction, hehe. I had to explain my plan of putting him to sleep same time everyday and everybody agreed. So far so good. In fact, he would be the first one to show signs that he was sleepy already. I just had to sway him a little, sing any song in a soft voice, give him milk to suck, and after ten to fifteen minutes, he's in dreamland already.

This has been going on for several days now and I am crossing my fingers!!
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Andi, the wooden walker

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Hola amiga!

Honey and I already saw signs of Migo's eagerness to stand up and do small steps so we wasted no time and looked for a walker. We would frequent the malls so to look for a walker that would fit the little man, but to no avail. Branded or brandless walkers, they won't "fit" Migo. Migo has long legs and from what we saw upon fitting the walkers, his legs would fold and he found it hard to straight them up and walk. Aside from that, he found the trinkets and toys placed in front of it interesting so he would just sit still, not walk at all, and just play with the toys placed infront of him. Our search for the right walker lasted for almost two weeks until we settled to the idea of just buying him the traditional walker. So on Christmas day, while driving our way to papu and mamu's place, Elmer saw a nomad selling an andador and we swerved, stopped, and bought the wooden walker.

Andi. I named the humble andador Andi. I know I used one too when I was a baby. In fact from me to our bunso Cris, mom and dad also welcomed the benefits of the andador. The older ones-titos and titas, lolos and lolas, ninongs and ninangs, prefer Andi over the new-kids-on-the-block who looked really fancy with all the toys
in front of it, the nice padding, and the rolling wheels. But then why did we settle for the plain-looking Andi? Here are our reasons:

-Andi looked so plain that Migo just focused on his walking, unlike when placed in a walker where he would just play with the toys placed in front of him.

-Migo would just glide, not walk, in the walker. The wheels made him move, not his feet. With the andador sans the wheels, his legs would do all the works. Literally, he would move himself from one place to another with the small steps his feet could make.

-Thr price. Andi priced at only p250, who would not get it? ;) Seriously, andador for me is durable compared to any branded walker available in the market. And if Migo would turn out to be stronger and nastier than other babies his age, andadors are easier to fix as long as there are nails and hammer around. Beyond repair already? Priced at P250,let's go and buy a new one!

One downside though, was that I had to make a padding so to not hurt his kilikili and chest, and another pad where to put him in. I had to sew these paddings and I slept at around 3am to finish it. It was not easy for me, but I had fun sewing anyways, thinking that my little sweetheart will spend some hours in a day, jumping and walking, in this wooden walker I named Andi.


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Seven month old

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Good morning!!


I already lost count of Migo's developments. Some was not even captured by cam for it happened so fast. I just found myself giving him solid food one Sunday morning and it was already finished when I remembered why I charged the camera battery. Damn!!

This month I discovered that he loves hugging his bolster pillow whil sleeping. He always had deep, peaceful sleep everytime he hugs it. And he loves lying on his right. That is one of the sleeping traits he got from me.

Migo also love the all-fours position. He would happily rock himself front and back when he is in this position.

Upper left tooth peeped already. One time he was laughing so hard that he opened his mouth real wide, there I saw the new member of the teeth family. And he was showing the same signs again: drooling, rubbing anything to soothe his gums, etc. And to add to that, he now learned how to bite. Ouch!!!



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Solid food rules

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Guten Tag!

In my own experience, introducing solids to my little man came easy. I just gave him a soup one day, followed by (mashed) macaroni and he liked it already. Our first experience with solids was really easy. I did not have any hard time introducing it to him maybe becaus he was really ready for it. However, despite the fuss-free solids session, I still strictly follow these rules.

-Give solids on the sixth month.
Why? Infants' intestinal tract is not yet mature until they reach their sixth month and giving them solids early on might be to hard on their part. It does not apply to all babies, though. Some mature early on, some mature a little later. But still, I just wanted to make sure about it so I had to patiently wait for the sixth month.

-Do not get excited on the food.
Giving solids can be really exciting, especially based on my experience where Migo would just get everything I gave him. But, hep hep!! We are avoiding over feeding here. Since the experience is new to the infant, he might not give signs that he is full already because he is enjoying the moment. And mommy might get overly excited too, forgeting that she's feeding an infant with a very tiny tummy.

-Experiment on one type of food first before introducing a new one.
I cooked lugaw for him and the lugaw was served for a week. It was intentional because I wanted him to be familiar with the food and also in case he's not hiyang and had diarrhea, I knew what the culprit was. It will be hard to track the cause of food allergy if all was given at the same time.

-The right eating position
Infants should be in a correct sitting position so to make him swallow the food correctly. Babies can be placed on a high chair or be sitted on your lap when feeding.

-The gear
I make sure that my little one is wearing a large bib when he's eating. A larger size of a bib can accomodate all the mess and prevent it from going to any part of his shirt. I also have a wet face towel on hand so I could wipe his mouth, or his face for that matter, to keep it clean and dungis-free.

-The utensils
I bought a simple infant bowl and not the fancy, colorful ones. I knew my baby would
be distracted with colorful things and I did not want him to be distracted while eating, so a plain looking bowl would be okay. The spoon I bought is kinda small so I can put it easy in his tiny mouth. In due time when he can already open his mouth wide and can accomodate a larger portion, I will buy then a bigger spoon. By the way, I chose a rubberized spoon over a plastic one so not to hurt the gums of my baby.

-No toys, no play
As much as possible, I do not want him playing while eating. As early as now, I want him to develop the habit of not playing or doing other things while eating. Even if this is one of our bonding times, I make sure he knows that eating time is only for eating time. Talkies are limited also. We have all the time to play when he's done with his food anyways.

-The water
I make sure that I let him drink water after each session so to help rinse out whatever is left inside his mouth. This also prevents singaw and cavities (for bigger babies with already lotsa teeth).




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Understanding his teething

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Howdy!!


For almost two weeks now, Migo has been scratching his gums in any way he can. He would grab almost everything, put it in his mouth and place it there, just there on that particular center spot, and quietly sooth himself. He would be Oscar the Grouch once I pull the thing from him to stop. Then eventually I would give in to his cries for he would really cry so loudly and be irritated. I suspected he was teething.

Confirmed.

Itchy gums was not the only sign I saw these past few weeks. I associated most of the unusual activities to teething. And my research told me I was correct.

UNEASY AND IRRITABLE - Most of the time he would cry for no reason at all and I would be there ready to carry him to comfort him.
Research says: As the sharp little tooth rises closer to the surface your baby’s gums may become increasingly more sore and painful,leading to your baby being very fussy. The pain and discomfort is most often worse during the first teeth coming in and later when the molars come in because of their bigger size. This is most often the case since babies become accustomed to the sensations of teething and learn to live with them. But you may find your baby may be fussy during the whole time that every tooth comes in. Every child reacts differently.

DROOLS - I often run out of bibs because he could easily wet it in a matter of minutes, no exaggeration. I wondered why he could not control or swallow his saliva. He looked like a saliva factory for like a week.
Research says: you may see your baby start drooling more often than normal. Teething stimulates drooling, which is often worse with some babies than others.

DIARRHEA - our worst case. It happened one Sunday when Elmer, Migo and I attended the Avon walk at Mall of Asia. He was sitting cutely on his stroller, Elmer was busy and proudly introducing his little version to his officemates while I played clown so he would not throw tantrums to the new faces sorrounding him. I noticed his shoe fell off from his feet (maluwag kasi, pinasuot pa e). As i picked it from the ground, I set my eyes to the stroller and there I saw pupu dripping from his seat down to his legs. It was such a mess! And I never saw it coming for he was okay the day before. We hurriedly went to Strada to clean him as well as the stroller. Boy, the pupu was really liquid, the diaper could not accomodate it. That was terrible. I stopped giving him solid food and I lessen my scoop of milk. The diarrhea lasted for three days.
Research says: While this is a symptom that is disagreed upon by physicians, researchers and parents, most parents usually notice slightly looser bowel movements when a baby is teething. While the recent study done by the Children’s Hospital in Australia found this to be the most common symptom of teething, there are still many people that will agree and disagree with this recent study. It is believed that the most likely cause of this is the extra saliva swallowed, which then loosens the stool. Be sure and report any diarrhea to your doctor that lasts more than two bowel movements.

November 19, 2009--- his first tooth on the central bottom, the left one in particular, came out.


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Half-a-year of cries and giggles

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It's been six months since I became a mom. I am so loving every bit of it. I so love it that going back to work now dreads me. Really, by this time, I should be going back to work, as in the real work. But I am having second thoughts still and I do not want to leave Migo to a yaya (which I do not have yet) for like, what, four or five days a week. It is not that I do not trust her, the yaya, but it's me that I do not trust. I do not know how will my mind work if I will be away from him in so many days a week. I might not be able to concentrate on my job. Yung trabaho ko pa naman, paper works mostly. I talked to hubby about going back to work and he has no problem with it. In fact, he is encouraging me to go out, pa-unti unti, so I can "get over" Migo and get used to not having him around even for just a while. Okay, let's see.

November 10, 2009-- Migo celebrated his sixth month. And I celebrated my survival, hehe...

Six months of crying loudly for milk, getting cranky when sleepy, toothless smiles, laughter that echoes around, hugs and kisses. Six months of pure bliss. Lavit!!

We had the traditional pancit for long life. Every 10th of the month, Elmer would bring home pancit from Kowloon house to celebrate Migo's monthly birth date. There must be a real, right term for it. Can someone please tell me how to call it? I am sure there are parents out there who celebrate monthly the way we do, with pancit and all, and I wonder how do they call it?

Six months from now and our little Nigo will be a year old. How time flies!! If only I could stop the time, I definitely will. I do not want my Migo to grow up yet, and yet it is happening real fast. So fast that I am afraid I won't be able to catch up.

I really hope he stays to be the cuddly, cute, smart baby that he is.
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The first solid food experience

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Bon Gourno!!


I excitedly waited for the sixth month to arrive for it is the month I supposed to give my little one solid food. November 1,2009 to be exact was his first taste of solids. We were actually in Holy Cross Memorial Park obviously for the All Saints Day and it was almost like a fiesta with the amount of food served. I eyed a chicken macaroni soup, one of my favorites, and scooped a generous amount for myself. I found Migo, who was just beside me, watching and as if salivating for what I was having. I just then found myself giving him some of the soup and he was so liking it. My titas encouraged me to give him some of the macaroni, but I was having second thoughts for he might not yet be ready for that kind of solid (solid for me then was just cerelac and mashed vegies). One of my titas grabbed my spoon, smashed the macaroni into a smooth texture, put a bit of a soup to just make it kinda slimy, and put it in Migo's mouth. Migo finished everything and he was asking
for more!!

Right there, I learned my son was really ready for some solid food.

Monday, the day after, I cooked lugaw for my little one. I figured I should give him food with less to almost no taste at all so he would not be too picky with his food. I prepared lugaw with no amount of salt or sugar in it, I just made sure that it was really soft and tender for him. I had no solid food stuff on hand that time for I was not yet able to buy his bowl and spoon so we just content ourselves with an adult plastic bowl and a teaspoon. Migo had no problems with that. He finished one serving till I saw signs that he was full.

Giving solid food came so handy for us. Migo was ready for it that introducing solids to him was like giving him something familiar already. He knew how to open his mouth, get the food from the spoon, swallow, and push out some if he was already full. And with the tasteless lugaw? No problem with that too. It was a fuss-free first time experience for me and my baby.
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How's the 4 mo. old baby?

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One thing I love about staying at home (for the meantime) is the pleasure of witnessing the developments of my little sweetheart.

Migo is now four months old and he keeps on exploring, exploring, exploring!!! He does not settle until he masters what he wants to do.

Last week until today, here are the moves he's been wanting to perfect:


lying on his side


holding his toys for a few seconds




joining his feet together


Makes me one proud momma!!

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